Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I finished Found today, the first book in The Missing series written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It was quite a fast read, and one that pulled you in and held your interest the entire way through. It is a science fiction book that is revolving around time traveling, with a unique storyline that is actually pretty creative. The entire book follows three children, a Jonah and Kathrine (brother and sister) and their neighbor, Chip. The three of them together are trying to unravel a big mystery that involves strangers, people and things disappearing before their eyes, intruders, the FBI, and all sorts of things that will have you reading one, waiting to see what comes next. I will say, this book is highly saturated with adoption. I think that some children who are adopted might find this book comforting, in that "someone feels like me" sentiment, while others it could be damaging. Even within the book, Chip discovers he is adopted, which sends him into a downward spiral of an identity crisis, sharing everything he is going through with Jonah. This in turn, causes Jonah, who is also adopted but quite happy with his life, to head down the same path. I am not sure that is the best for all children to read about that are adopted.
Also, I thought the writer didn't handle the topic up kidnapping very tastefully. Why it was even interjected into the storyline so many times, is beyond me. It was unnecessary. But there was plenty of times the three kids were running around doing investigative work that was, of course, slightly dangerous to be doing at their age, leaving them to be making light comments about "what if we get kidnapped" type of thing. Every time it was mentioned, I got the feel that it was almost like a joke, like they were saying...O-well, if we get kidnapped! That was kind of disturbing for me, coming from the point of view of a mother who is well aware that an actual real kidnapping is a terrible thing, and a lot of times, life threatening. I found it to be quite insensitive and poor judgment for the author to keep including these comments. Children do not need to be taught that kidnapping is nothing to be serious about. I really didn't like that in the book.
There was also a moment in the book where they were trying to explain how a ripple in time is created, by giving the example of if you go back in time and kill your grandmother, the paradox that creates for your existence. Why choose to pick writing about going back to kill your grandmother to explain this? There is probably a ton of other ways the author could have chose to express this idea, or at least word it in a way that wasn't slightly creepy to be thinking of a bunch of kids reading this in a casual manner. I don't think that authors need to lightly introduce, in an insensitive manner, topics such as kidnapping or killing grandmothers. It was a bit strange for me.
Aside from those things, the book was pretty good. It was a very creative science fiction book, and I love time traveling tales. I am curious to read on in the series, but I am not sure I will be racing out to the library to gather the next books up anytime soon. Also, I would feel comfortable with my own children reading this book, however, that is because I know they understand the seriousness of these topics, and I know they would probably be thinking the same thoughts I am while reading it. I know not all children are taught about these topics by an adult with the appropriate intent, giving the correct message and information on such serious topics, so I don't think this book is best for all children.
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Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I would probably give this book a 3.5 star rating if it would let me. It was a fun book, full of magical abilities, friendship, and eerie circumstances. Charlie discovers he is a descendant from The Red King, who was a magician wielding magical abilities. The book starts with Charlie just discovering his abilities, which whisks him off on an adventure, including new friends, a new school, new villains, and a lot of adventure for a ten year old boy. I thought it was cute, and held my interest throughout the entire book. The only thing I disliked was that there was an overwhelming amount of mean people in this book, some whom were adults in Charlie's own family. It was a little off-putting, but the positivity amongst Charlie and his friends made it easier to focus on the fun of it all. There are some very slight scary parts, more just really eerie, but for a kid that doesn't do well with that sort of thing, they might not want to pick it up. There is also a scene where an animal is injured pretty badly, which also might bother some children. I know my own ten year old daughter wouldn't like to read this book because of those two things, however, I'm sure there are a lot of kids that would absolutely love this book!
Like some others have mentioned when reviewing this book, the ending is fast. The book winds down to one last detail that needs to be taken care of, which would have been a good moment for the author to add a last bit of adventure, which seems like where it is going by how it is written up to that point. Then...BAM! It is immediately solved with basically no opposition, which was kind of weird, and unrealistic compared to the rest of the book. That literally doesn't happen until the last ten pages of the book. It is, however, pretty awesome how it is resolved, but I think the author could have at least added some things to fill it in a little more for it to not feel so rushed.
Overall...I'd recommend this book to anyone that is looking for an adventurous middle grade read.
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Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon final update:
I ended up not staying up too late last night. I wished I had been able to so that I could have gotten some more reading in! But, I did at least finish Midnight for Charlie Bone before I fell asleep, bringing my reading total up to 201 pages. Probably pretty sad for a readathon, but not too bad for me personally, especially on a day that was also a family outing day. I am happy that I at least finished a book, it makes me feel like I accomplished something on a day that I probably wouldn't have pick up a book!
Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I finally finished! I basically was forcing myself to get through it so that I could write a proper review. Well, this is a bit of a conflicted review. I was inspired to read this book after enjoying the movie. The plot is pretty creative, and I really love it, however, I think the author kind of missed a great opportunity here. For me, the author focused too much on the parts of this story that shouldn't have been so prominent throughout the novel, which basically ruined it for me. I didn't want to read 300 pages of teens beating each other up for practice, the inner workings of a brooding teen that basically shuns all forms of human contact, and an endless obsession with tattoos and piercings. I am not going to lie, it was weird. You could not go an entire chapter without reading something about a tattoo or a piercing. At one point I found myself just wishing that the author would just get a tattoo and be done with it. I felt that the book was going nowhere up until about the last 100 pages, and I'm sorry Veronica Roth, but that doesn't make for a good book. I am so sad to give this book only 2 stars, because I had such high hopes for the premise of the novel. This is probably the first time I have ever said that the movie is better than the book. There were times I was reading the book excited for a part that I knew was coming from having seen the movie, only to discover that all those good parts were not present in the novel. The technology was more fleshed out in the movie, the human interactions made more sense in the movie, and Tris was really a lot more likeable character in the movie. Honestly, I am much more impressed at the creative ideas used within the movie. I will eventually read the other two books in the series, maybe, but only because I actually purchased the entire trilogy in hardcover.
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The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I cannot believe I read through this book so quickly! It was a fast, fluffy read, one that I am glad I accomplished. However, I am conflicted over this book, and unsure how many stars I would give it. The plot is wonderful, revolving around sisterly love and bravery and courage. It sounds like a book that would be perfect for my liking, which is why I purchased it. I could go into depth about what displeased me, but I don't really think it is necessary. I think that basically this author's writing style comes across a bit too young for me in most places and some specific details in the book have me slightly wincing at the silliness. Don't get me wrong, this is a fabulous fairytale type of book, however, I have read much better that I found myself, in a way, comparing it to while reading. Even though I have not read a tale even close to this storyline (which I do admire), the finished piece was not put together well enough for my taste. I think I just have really high standards for fairytales, expecting perfection and to be absolutely wowed, simply because fairytales in general leave me in awe. I was not left in awe, but admired the author's creative plot and effort.
The thing I did really did like about this book was the creative take on sorcerers and dragons. I loved Rhys and all his quirks and how a dragon's laughter sounded like bells. It was refreshing to read the scenes that talked of Rhys or dragons. What I didn't like was when the author tried to pass minor events as a major one, or have a character come to a thought or an idea that seemed out of character, or too all of a sudden. I was also a little put off with the ending. The ending was wonderful, but I didn't like how she wrote the reactions of the characters in the ending chapters. I just didn't get why she was trying to force a happy ending into a bittersweet ending. It was weird for me.
Overall, I am glad I read it. I've been meaning to give a Gail Carson Levine novel a try for a long time. I don't know if this novel is a good representation of the general style of her novels overall, but I don't see myself picking up anymore of her books. I see myself reaching more for fairytales written by Mercedes Lackey or Dennis L. McKiernan. I will be passing this book onto my oldest daughter, I have a feeling she will really enjoy the fun of this book.
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The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition by Jacob Grimm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was given this book to read and review through Net Galley upon request. This is not really going to be a review of the brother's Grimm tales, but more on this specific edition. I am a lover of all things fairy tales, so I was immediately drawn to this book. This edition is divided into two volumes within, each containing the stories that were printed in 1812 and 1815 editions, which contains over 150 tales. I was surprised and interested to read that some of these tales did not follow the original Grimm stories I read a while back, such as the Little Red Cap tale. I recalled the wolf being cut open and filled with rocks, which was not present in this book, even with two endings to the story provided. The table of contents was very messy for me. I am not sure if it was just an e-book copy or what, but the listing of each tale was numbered on a new line (how most table of contents are), but then about midway through each volume in the table of contents it became a paragraph jumbled together and was quite hard to read. There was also random small words and numbers written throughout the book that appeared to be more like organizational notes. They were a bit odd and jarring, but does not necessarily hinder the reading of each tale. I did really love the style of the illustrations. They were all black and white, as if paper cut out silhouettes, like the cover. Some were quite whimsical and really beautiful to look at, while others were very strange and almost horror story-ish to look at, as if the most gruesome part of the tale was chosen to be depicted. For example, I came across an illustration depicting a decapitated unicorn with blood spurting and collecting on the ground. That was a bit strange to me, even though we are talking about the harsh original Grimm tales. It should be noted that there is not an illustration for each story, which made the choices of the illustrations at times all the more strange for me, thinking there could have been a more whimsical beautiful illustration created instead.
Overall, it is not a terrible edition, but not necessarily my favorite. I cannot compare to other original Grimm books I have read in the past in regards to the number of tales included, as I cannot recall from previous books, but this book does contain a lot of tales to enjoy. I think some minor issues could be cleaned up to make the book more put together, and would definitely opt for more whimsical illustrations over grotesque, but that is my personal opinion when it comes to fairy tales. If you like reading the old original tales, this book definitely has many for you to indulge in!
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Ivy in Bloom: The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers from the Past by
Vanita Oelschlager
My rating:
3 of 5 stars
I received an electronic copy of this book through Net Galley upon request, and was excited to dig in! It is apparently quite short, as it is a children's story book, with beautiful illustrations. I could not get over how clean, crisp, and bright the illustrations were. The story itself is basically a poem about a young girl that is waiting for spring to come, and then how lovely spring is. My first opinion reading through it, was that it felt very disjointed, almost as if it wasn't the same style of writing throughout the book, aside from the first few pages. Apparently I was right! After the story, there are several pages listing full poems by many writers (such as Dickens and Longfellow), with lines or phrases within each poem highlighted in green that was used within the story. The first few pages seemed to be a full poem written by the author of the book, which explains why I felt the first few pages flowed and the rest seemed disjointed and not of the same pen. I am not quite sure how I feel about it overall. The illustrations are beautiful as I mentioned, and I did like how the story was going in the beginning, but I think all the different writers smashed together doesn't make for a nice flowing poetry story book. I did, however, like reading through all of the poems in the back of the book that most of the lines from the book came from. I think it may have sounded better if the author had written the entire thing, so it felt more cohesive. I also liked seeing a bunch of poems by many authors with lines highlighted to match a certain theme. Together though, not 100% my favorite.
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The Antigone Poems by
Marie Slaight
My rating:
1 of 5 stars
I was very excited to receive this book on my Kindle from Net Galley, as I very much love the Sophocles plays. I have to say though, I really didn't much care for it. I have read Antigone, but it has been a long while since, so I don't know if having the play fresh in my mind would make a difference or not? But I keep thinking that for it to be considered well written, one shouldn't need to know Antigone at all, for it to be a stand alone piece of work. The poetry itself is very gothic like to me, dark, and I had a lot of trouble even fully getting what each poem was about, basically because it was written a lot different than poetry I am use to reading. There were chapters, which I didn't get, as there wasn't that many poems to need to divide into chapters, let alone the actual common theme amongst the poems under each chapter were not clear for me. The poems didn't have names, but were numbered, and the numbers didn't make sense either. The poems went up to ridiculous roman numerals, skipping many between poems. It made me wonder if I really had a full copy? It really just didn't make sense how they were numbered. There was also a weird font thing going on in my digital copy, where there was a space within words after the letter "f". I get it is a typo, but it almost seemed intentional, as it was only when specific letters followed the letter "f". It really made it hard to read, and I wonder how much that affected my ability to appreciate the poems more. I did, however, love the illustrations within the book, which I understand to be chalk drawings. They are very interesting, a distinct artistic style that will have you going back through the book just to stare at the images longer. I think the artist should create more of these chalk drawings and put together a book of them!
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The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I finished the first story in the trilogy, which is really quite short (around 85 pages). This was a reread for me, and I remembered most of this story, which I still love just as much as the first time I read it. It is a lovely Christmas tale that reminds readers what is important around Christmastime (or any time)- your family. A father of a budding family is reminded to spend more time with his young child through a new friendship that will impact his life forever. I can't really say too much more about it, as it is short, and I don't want to give spoilers. But it is a very heart touching story that will have you tearing up in a few parts. It is very nicely written; a tale I will reread many more times!
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Meet Molly: An American Girl by Valerie Tripp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been trying to get into several American Girl books, as we have quite the collection. I started a few that just didn't grab my attention, but Meet Molly pulled me in from the first paragraph. I really loved this book, it reminded me so much of the Ramona books that I use to read as a kid. She is mischievous, getting into trouble with her brother, and has a silly fun personality that is revealed to the readers through her actions and thoughts. This particular book takes place during WWII, and during the Halloween season. Basically her and her friends are trying to decide how to dress up for Halloween, angering her brother in the process by teasing him about a girl he likes. He declares he will get even, and even he does! His revenge involved a lot of freezing cold water and soggy Halloween treats. The revenge planning doesn't end there, for Molly that is. Now she needs to get even with her brother, which involves a lot of her brother's socks and underwear, and a whole lot of embarrassment! It is a really short cute book that had me chuckling in a few spots. The illustrations within the book are detailed and very nicely done. There is also of course mention of the war and a section at the back of the book that explains into more detail what it would have been like to live during Molly's time. It is very informative without getting too dry, which is spot on for kids. I really enjoyed this book and will be continuing on in the series of Molly books.
My only complaint about this book, and really any of the American Girl books, is how heavy each book is. The books are printed with extremely nice quality, but the pages being so much more thicker than usual, it makes for a heavier book. In my opinion they are each too heavy for a small chapter book for children, especially if you have a small stack that includes entire set of one American Girl. Every time I stack up the American Girl books in our house to move somewhere else, I am always in shock of their weight for such small stories. Seems wasteful, and possibly unpractical for what they are.
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99 Snowflakes by Allan Ed. House
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The title of this book says it all, 99 thread crochet snowflake patterns are written throughout this oversized 55 paged craft book. They are each listed with a number, a black and white photo, and clear instructions (even giving directions for those more advanced stitches within the pattern for that snowflake). There is also a list of crochet stitches in the front of the book with instructions, and blocking charts near the back of the book with instructions on how to do so. The middle section of the book contains several pages that are in color that display the finished and hung crocheted snowflakes, as well as they are displayed on the front and back cover. My only qualm about the book is that I kind of hate black and white craft instruction books, however, it truly does not affect the usefulness of this book (as in all actuality the snowflakes are generally done in white anyways), but I just think it would be prettier! This is really a superb book for anyone that wants to crochet snowflakes. It is nice to have such an abundance of patterns to choose from all in one book.
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By Hook or by Crook by Betty Hechtman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a cute, fluffy read. I've been searching for some mystery books that don't necessarily revolve around a murder, leaves out any and all gory details, and is not filled with sex . This is book really fits what I've been searching for, with a lot of absurdity thrown in as well.
This is, of course, a murder mystery, but that is not really the mystery the book focuses on. There is a crochet group that meets frequently (it seems daily) in a bookstore where Molly Pink works. The characters in the group are so varied; for example, there is even a male model that is a member. (What?) The crocheters are always huddled around a filet crochet piece (a type of delicate crochet) filled with motifs (images) that was mysteriously left for them to decipher. Molly pretty much takes it over, letting her inner sleuth run wild through the town, eventually linking the crochet piece to a murder. Molly has this overwhelming inner desire to figure out who made the filet crochet piece, and why, and she will stop at nothing, including breaking into a private home, wearing her sons clothes, and even pretending to be a janitor.
There is also a recipe for a noodle dish at the end of the book that Molly Pink made several times during the book, along with a filet crochet bookmark pattern and a small crochet blanket pattern. I do crochet, so I might give them a try one of these days!
This was a really cute read. I was surprised to find myself still choosing to read this book every night before bed, as a huge part of me really didn't care about the storyline, or if Molly ever figured out what was up with the crochet piece, but it was simply just fun to read. I am guessing that is the purpose of the author, and she did good on that. I will definitely be keeping my eye open for more of her books, or others like this. She may have just opened up the world of cozy mystery books for me!
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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For whatever reason, I have had an overwhelming desire to read this book, one that I couldn't shake until I found myself ordering the entire series online. I finally received all four books in the mail yesterday, and less than 24 hours later, I have already devoured the first book.
Everyone and their mother must know this tale of the four best friends and the pair of magical pants. These four friends are, for the first time, spending the summer apart. And the pair of pants? Well, they think they are magical, so they must be...
All four girls are nervous to spend so much time apart, so they use this pair of pants that seems to magically fit all four of their different body types beautifully (unheard of in the world of being a girl), to symbolize the love and support that they have for each other. As they go their separate ways, each girl has their own journey, their own experiences that exposes a little more of the world we all live in. They share the pants, each girl wearing the pants during moments of embarrassment or mistakes, and then again during a time of comfort, solace, and making things right. This book covers deep emotional topics, such as young love, stepfamilies, sex (though it is mainly implied), and even death. But, more importantly, this book is about friendship. The kind of friendship that is filled with unconditional love, the kind that will last forever.
I really enjoyed reading about these wonderful girls. I think every teen will be able to relate to at least one of these girls, which is something we all seek to find in a book that we read. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is mainly age related. I loved reading the book, but as I am a mother, married, older than these four girls, I crave to read about these topics on a different level, one that I can relate in my current life. I have seen concern about age appropriateness for this series, as it does touch on some issues that are not for the young, but I do think it all depends on the girl in question. Parents would know if their child is ready for such a book.
I will definitely be keeping this book around, and continuing on in the series.
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Sense and Sensibility by Gill Tavner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I kind of love that those classics that can be hard for adults to get through, are adapted and shortened for children to enjoy. I purchased the whole collection of Jane Austen Real Reads last summer I believe, hoping my daughters would get a glimpse into the world of Miss Austen.
I decided to give Sense and Sensibility a read this afternoon. It read very quickly, being only 54 pages long. The copy is made very sturdy. It isn't softcover, but isn't hardcover either. It is that weird in-between version. There is a dust jacket with a beautiful illustration of distraught Marianne being comforted by her older sister Elinor. There are similar colored illustrations throughout the book, with the pages being much thicker than normal pages.
I love the story of Sense and Sensibility, the newer BBC version of the movie is one of my favorite movies of all time. I thought this version of the story was well done. There is obviously a lot of the story details left out, considering its length. This version is told from the point of view of Margaret, the younger sister (who really has a very minor roll in the original). There was also a couple of times where events were kind of smushed together, and even characters (such as Ann and Lucy Steele becoming simply, Lucy Steele). I know some Austen fans might gasp in shock, but I don't think it hurts the story at all. I just think, a little condensed Jane Austen for young ones is better than no Jane Austen. My only complaint about the shortening and adapting in this specific novel is that the scene with Colonel Brandon finding Marianne in the rain was left out (although I have never fully completed the novel, so maybe that is just in the movies?). That is kind of one of my favorite parts, as it is the moment that Marianne begins to view Colonel Brandon in a different light, knowing how he rescued her.
I especially love how when the story ends, the book does not. At the back of the book, there is a bunch of information for budding minds! They explain how things were condensed and changed for space, and describe in detail how they were in the original novel. There is also a Back in Time section that explains what is was like to live in Miss Austen's time. Another section gives lists of more books and websites to further your Jane Austen interest, along with a few pages of discussion questions that leave your mind reviewing and really putting your thoughts together about what you just read. What more could a parent or teacher ask for in a Jane Austen introduction novel for young ones?
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Vikings of Legend and Lore Paper Dolls by Kiri Ostergaard Leonard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
After digging into this book, I decided to give a review on here. The book contains a paper doll based around Viking Legends, which includes a total of seven paper dolls (Thyra Danebood, Tove of Venden, Kraka the Shieldmaiden, Gorm the Sleepy, Harold Bluetooth, Ragnar "Hairy-breeks" Lothbrok, and the dragon, Lindwyrm). Each doll has a different pose, so their clothing can not be shared between them. Along with each paper doll, there is a short summary of the legend dealing with each person. I do wish that the book explained the legends a little more deeply, but I suppose I can't complain. The style of the paper dolls and clothes are beautifully done, and the colors chosen compliment the era of the Vikings well. The pages are all pretty thick, though not thick enough for the paper dolls to stand upright (even using the provided stands). The tabs for the clothing were placed very awkwardly. I was surprised to see parts of the clothing printed out onto the tabs, so that once folded behind the doll, it distorted the appearance of the clothes. Tabs were placed on a curved part of the body (such as the shoulder), so that you couldn't fold the tab over without really messing up the look of the clothing on the front. There was even a pair of pants where a tab was actually placed too far into the pants, so that folding the tab would over would still leave a large chunk of the bright white tab visible on the doll. I don't use tabs, and general snip them off, however, that specific tab even posed a problem for me, as I had to actually cut into the pants to remove the tab.
Aside from the tabs, I really liked this paper doll book. I love how the characters from Viking legends are depicted more as children rather than adults. Their faces are so detailed and original on each doll, it really makes for a set of fun paper dolls. Especially if you are someone that has an interest in Vikings. I think that this paper doll book and a book that further explains these legends would be a great gift for a child interested in this culture.
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My Storybook Paper Dolls by Maggie Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a cute paper doll book filled with characters from well known fairytales. This book includes Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, the three bears, the big bad wolf, the three little pigs, and Puss in Boots. Each doll and all the clothing is printed on thick cardstock type paper, which is very sturdy. Each doll has different body types, so they cannot share clothing between them. The illustrations and style of these dolls are very adorable and would catch they eye of any young child. The colors are bright, and their is plenty of clothing for even the animal characters. This is a great paper doll book for any fairytale lover.
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Thrift Store Diva Paper Dolls by Charlotte Whatley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This paper doll book contains two diva dolls (Morgan and Sofia), which are present on the front cover. Both dolls are have the same body shape and size, so all the clothes provided within can be used for either doll. The clothing throughout the book show a thrift store price, along with where the piece was purchased (such as a garage sale, a charity thrift store, a discount department store). The dolls are printed on the inside flap of the covers of the book, so they are extra sturdy. The rest of the clothing is printed on pages that are thick enough for the clothing to hold up well. Tab placements are appropriate and useful. This book surprisingly has a ton of clothing for the two dolls provided, and would make a great gift for the little girls in your life that are interested in fashion and design.
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